On my eleventh trip to Bonaire, my wife and I stayed at Bonaire Oceanfront Apartments. Our Condo was very comfortable. There were TV's in both the airconditioned bedroom and in the living room, which looked out into the garden, the pool and the Ocean. Now that I've set the scene, I'll continue with the worst part of the trip. For the second season in a row, some of my equipment was stolen on an island which was once considered free of crime. In 2008 my fins were taken from my truck. This time my 16 year old prescription mask was stolen from the table outside our condo. In all probability, no one will ever be able to use this mask. My vision is not that great. Luckily this was the mask I use for snorkeling, not the bifocal mask I use for diving and filming. Other than this disappointing event, the trip was wonderful.

      At Bonaire Oceanfront Apartments there is a dive shop connected with Buddy's. Tanks, both air and nitrox were available immediately outside our condo in the lot where we parked our truck. Restaurants like It Rains with Fishies was just a short walk from the condo, and a bakery, (often closed,) was right across the street. We were also only a short distance from the Cultimara. Just about 1/4 mile down the road were both a great Pizza Place, Pizza bon Pasa and a great shore dive, Something Special. It was a great location.

      The diving, as always was wonderful. During our two weeks, we did 9 dives at Something Special due to its location and ease of entry. The visibility was generally wonderful and the marine life plentiful. I want to thank Ron and Diane for introducing us to this wonderful site. Many nights, I stayed even closer, walking with my tank directly in front of our condo for an easy night dive. Three times each, I managed to get to some of my favorite dive sites, Torie's Reef, Oil Slick Leap, Reef Scientifico and my favorite, Karpata. The reef at Karpata was especially healthy featuring mountain after mountain of life.

      As usual, the last two things we did before leaving for the airport were leaving a few bags of carrots at the Donkey Sanctuary and enjoying a nice meal at Kon Tiki. Then onto the airport.